10 tips on how to travel Brazil on a budget

And no, cooking in the hostel isn't one of them

I've been backpacking around Brazil for a few months now and have quickly come to realise that this country is a lot more expensive than I was antecipating. With a budget of 50€/ day, I was hoping to have a mix of low-cost travel in Brazil and splurging, but I quickly realised that my budget was on the lower end of the spectrum. Given that there was no way I could increase the amount of money I had available for the trip, I soon sussed out to how to travel more cost-effectively within this country. Most guides on budget-friendly backpacking in Brazil will give you the same advice over and over again; cook more, do less, stay in hostels. But what if you're already doing this?

Here are 10 different tips to travel cheaply in Brazil:

1. Book bus tickets in the terminal

Given Brazil's ubiquitous CPF system, it can be difficult to buy tickets online. Most (gringo) travellers will therefore swear on Busbud, the only online platform where bus tickets can be bought without a CPF. I've tried the platform out a couple of time, but noticed that they add two different charges, which can often total over 50 extra reais (about 10€). Given that bus travel in Brazil is not exactly cheap, this adds an extra expense to something already budget-breaking.

For this I recommend to buy the bus tickets always in the terminal. I use Busbud to find out the price and timings, and then buy directly with the carrier face-to-face. This means there are no additional fees, making the expensive bus fare more cost-effective. A few times the price I paid was even lower than the price quoted online. Of course, you need to factor in the cost of getting to the terminal - I normally avoid an extra cost by buying when arriving in a city, or buying just before departure.

2. Go out for food at lunch and look for Prato Executivo

The food in Brazil is one of the things I have been enjoying the most. Most "cheap travel" guides will recommend that you only cook in the hostel if you are on a shoestring budget. I, however, personally find cooking in the hostel a necessity but not something to do day in and day out.

Most restaurants will have a cheaper "prato executivo" or "prato feito" available at lunchtimes. Obviously price depends on region, but you should expect to pay 15-30 reais, making it potentially even cheaper than cooking. If you can, also vary the day. Most places will tend to have a different "Prato do Dia" every day. For example, Feijoada will often be the dish of the day on Saturdays, and sometimes Wednesdays. In Sao Paulo, the dish "Paulista" will usually be available on Mondays.

Of course, the meals on offer tend to follow the same pattern of beans, chips, rice and a form of protein. Regional dishes will often be on offer too though, it's worth just keeping an eye out if there's a particular dish you'd like to try.

3. Bring reusable items with you

This top of course has an upfront cost, but I believe it quickly evens out, making these a very cost-effective option for Brazil! I would recommend the following items; a water bottle with a filter, a tupperware, and reusable cutlery.

In my experience, most hostels in Brazil will have filtered water available BUT not always. Having a water bottle with a filter means you can fill up your water bottle from any random bathroom tap and have no issues. Even though a small bottle (500ml) of water only costs around 3-5 reais, drinking 2 litres a day over 90 days leads to a rough spend of 1080 reais which is just over 200€. Therefore an upfront investment of 30€ into a waterbottle suddenly feels like a very budget-friendly option, no?

The same goes ffor bringing tupperware and reusable cutlery. This is not only better for the environment, but means you can easily bring food with you when out and about, reducing impulsive and random spends on food. Bringing cultlery especially has been a game changer for me. MEans I can bring rolls, butter and cheese out and about with no issues.

4. Be smart when doing laundry

Steer clear of hostel laundry services. Self service machines cost between 15-20 rs for a wash and the same again for a dry. Most hostel services started at around 45 rs and were qualitively distinctly lower.

A fellow traveller (shout out to Ute!) gave me the tip of buying a laundry bar and using this to wash clothing in sinks. This works best if you are washing as you go, so that you don't end up with a mountain. Also a tip that works best in a sunny and dry climate - you don't want to be waiting three days for your clothes to dry.

5. Minimise your credit card costs

Be smart about how you access reais. It's not budget-friendly if you are paying an additional charge on top of every transaction you make. Therefore, to make sure you are travelling Brazil as low-cost as possible, avoid hidden fees. Research good travel credit cards that do not charge for ATM withdrawals or foreign currency transactions. These cards will likely have other limitations (mine had an annual cost, plus a minimum amount I can withdraw), but the bit of upfront research will more than pay off.

You can further save money by looking into fee-free ATM withdrawals in Brazil. They exist! There are only a handful of different ATM brands in Brazil which even accept foreign cards. Personally, I only had success with Santander, Banco24 and Bradesco. Whilst Banco24 is by far the most common, the ATM itself will charge you 24 reais to withdraw money. At Bradesco, there is, however, absolutely no charge imposed by the ATM, and you're only paying the costs set by your bank.

6. Check out the"free" days at museums

The cultural offering in Brazil is rich and yet, so much of it is free! A lot of museums on Brazil have days of the week, or certain times they are free. Be sure to check this information before visiting, as possible you can coordinate your visit and save a few reais. I also want to mention that every single cultural institution offers you a full (inteiro) and a half (meia) price - this seems to be law. Half price can be had if you are a foreign student, so make sure to bring valid student ID with you.

I was also given the tip to check out Cultual Centers - you can find these by Googling SESC + local area. There are apparently some form of taxbreaks for companies that invest in these centres which equals a lot of free culture. The one in Paraty is supposed to be particularly good for live music.

7. Check out Blablacar instead of buses

Travelling by bus in Brazil is convenient, comfortable and mostly punctual. However, the quality of the journeys is definitely reflected in the price. I had a lot of night buses with cost me 50€+, blowing my budget often for several days. If your journey has a lot more shorter stretches (think 5 hours or less), definitely check out Blablacar. It's not as reliable, nor are there as many departures, but the cost of the trips tend to be half the price.

8. Prioritise cheap and free activities

If gearing up for an expensive activity, or trying to financial recover from two many restaurant splurges, heading to the countryside or beach has been wonderful for my beach. Bring a packed lunch and some water in your water bottle and head out for the day. The majority of beaches are completely free, and it costs absolutely nothing to go for a swim!

Hiking tends to be a bit trickier, as in some parts places are only accessible via expensive public transportation or with a guide. However, do a bit of googling (try typing trilha + location) and you'll be sure to find something for free. Best of all, not only are these cheap and low-cost activities, they are also very very good for the soul.

9. Steer clear of group tours as much as you can

It will always be cheaper to do things independently. Of course, sometimes this is not possible due to language or time constraints, or because of local infrastructure (i.e. in Bonito, for which I have a whole post!). That being said, I have been consistently very impressed with public transport (see next point) in Brazil, which seems to connect most of points of interest with nearby cities.

A great example of this is visiting Ilha Grande from Rio or the Waterfalls in Foz do Iguaçu (check out my post!). Unless you're planning on just doing a day trip, both of these destinations have buses running multiple times a day, making accessing these locations super easy. No need to pay a surplus for the comfort.

10. Don't shy away from public transport in cities

Much is made of the price of Uber in Brazil and how inexpensive it is. But, as someone travelling solo, I didn't find it to be a cost-effect form of travel. On the other hand, I've ridden the metro in Rio, the bus in São Paulo, and found the public transport to be consistent, cheap, and safe. I'm going to do a full post on this, which I will link once done. Bus travel has ranged from 3-7 reais per journey and metro trips hovered around 4-5 reais.

What do you think?

I hope I've shown that it's easier to backpacking around Brazil on a budget than you think, and that you can save your money to spend it on what is really important for you on your trip, be that food, adventure, or comfort. These little tips will help you travel more cost-effectively around this amazing country! If you have any more, do share in the comments.... for all my wisdom, I am currently 150€ in the red!